Rail-joint.



S. SCALPELLE.

RML JOINT. APPLICATiON min AUG .3h 19x1.

1,26%279, Patented May 21,1918.

SYLVES'IER SCALPELLI, 0F JOLIET, ILLINOIS.

RAIL-JOINT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

PatentedMay 21, 1918.

Application filed August 31, 1917. Serial No. 189,173.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SYLvnsTER SOALPELLI, a citizen of the United States, residing at J oliet, in the county of Will and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Rail-Joints, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to improvements in railway rails and is particularly directed to means for connecting the meeting ends of said rails.

In carrying out my invention, it is my purpose to construct railway rails, wherein each of the rails at one of its ends, is provided with a socket and at its other end with a tongue designed to be received in the socket of the adjacent rail, a single securing element passed through the tongue an socket for connecting the rails.

It is a still further object of the invention to produce a railway joint in which the rail ends are connected by a substantially rule joint, the said joint being arranged below the heads of the rails and being-of a nature to insure the positive alinement of the heads as well as to obviate the danger of the sinking of the rails at the joint.

It is a further object of the invention to reduce the cost and labor in the installation of rail joints, as well as to provide a connecting means for two rails which will positively insure the same against danger of loosening at the joint.

Other objects and advantages will appear as the nature of the invention is more fully understood, reference bein had to the accompanying drawing, in which,

Figure 1 is a side elevation illustrating two rails constructed and connected in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view approximately on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig, 3 is a perspective view of one of the rail ends, and

Fig. 4.- is a similar view of the co-acting rail end.

The rails, designated by the numerals 1 and 2, in the accompanying drawing, have their body portions of the usual construction, so that the foot or base flanges thereof may be readily engaged by the heads of the spikes 3 which enter the supporting ties.

It is, of course, to be understood that the rails 1 and 2 have their ends similarly constructed, that is, the arrangement of the socket member upon the end of therail 1 is also true of one of the ends of the rail 2, while the tongue provided upon the rail 2 is also provided on the rail or forward end thereof opposite that provided with the socket.

The socket is formed upon the end of the rails by widening or thickening the said rails at one of the ends thereof, and by centrally slotting or bifurcating the said thickened portion so as to form a pair of spaced ears 55, the said ears being provided with alinin openings 6. The thickened portion is preferably in a line with the sides of the head of the rail 1, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 3 of the drawings, and is extended over the foot or base of the rail for any desired distance, the said foot or base of the rail terminating preferably a slight distance to the rear of the end of the head of the said rail as indicated by the numerals 7. In the construction disclosed by the drawings, the end of the rail 2 is provided with a ton no 8, which may be and preferably is o a thickness corresponding to that of the web of the said rail, the said tongue projecting beyond the head and the base of the rail as clearly illustrated in Fig. 4 of the drawings. The tongue, as well as the ears 55 are preferably round in side elevation, the tongue being of a size to be snugly received in the socket 9 provided between the ears 55, the said tongue having a single opening 10 designed to register with the opening 6 in the ears, a securing element, such as the bolt 10, passing through the said alining openings, the said bolt being provided with the usual retaining nut 11, as well as with looking nuts, if desired, or found necessary.

The construction is devised with a joint, substantially in the nature of a rule joint, the ends of the heads as well as the base or foot portions of the confronting rails being disposed in contacting relation, but the openings in the members providing the socket as well as the tongue of the respective rails are elongated to permit of the proper expansion and contraction of the rails. The pivot 10 is So arranged that the rails may be folded to bring their base portions into contacting engagement. This is a material advantage, inasmuch as two rails can be connected before the same are arranged on the ties, thus greatly facilitating the laying of the rails, inasmuch as two lengths of rails can be readily positioned upon the ties for spiking thereto, which also permits of two connected rails being readily transported.

Having thus described my invention,

what I claim is 1. In combination with two alined wav rails,one of said rails having its end provided With a round socket disposed below the head of the rail and extended outward'ly of the said end of the rail, the other rail 'ha'ving'itsend provided With around tongue arranged below the head'of the rail and extending outwardly of" the end of the said rail and designed to be received in the socket .ofth'eifirst mentioned rail, and a pivot' mem- GbpieS-ofthispatent maybe obtained for ears, the ears havinga round periphery and extending below the base of the rail, the wall between the ears being rounded to conform tothe' peripheral contour of the said ears and the said ears having central alining openings, the other rail having its web projected beyond its head and foot to provide a tongue having a round periphery an'd' designed '-to b'e're'ceived between the ears and the walls at the end of the second mentioned rail opposite the tongue being rou'nded to receive the round ears of the first mentioned rail, said tongue having an opening"de signed to aline with the openings in the ears, and a'jse'curing element passing through such openings. 7 r

3. The eombinationwith tworails having a rule'joint connection therebetwe'en.

In testimony 'whereof affix signature S'YLVESTER SCALPELLL five cents each, b aadressi'ng me "commissioner'oeraeem, washingtonyncfi" 1 1 1 

